Apparently you can’t say the Mourner’s Kaddish for a pet. A few brave souls have attempted to adapt the prayer, but according to my very official Google search—Rabbis frown upon this practice. Soooooo…what to do?

Chag sameach tribe! I’ve stopped and started a million + 1 posts to share with you the wonderful world of divinity school yet…here we are. I’ve decided instead of trying to recount everything up until this point I’m just going to throw you into my mad world –head first.

I’ve spent the past hour looking at the various recreational sporting clubs I might be able to take part of during my time at Harvard. Next to me sits a pile of golden “reminder” post-it notes that have actual events of consequence that I need to keep up with…playing out my ice hockey fantasy is not one of them.

I tried to quote the Whitney Houston song…in case you didn’t get the title reference.

This post is more like a state- of- the -union- journal- entry. No need to read further…just needed to get this out. I’ve been emotional lately…for a myriad of reasons and wanted to share a few… Continue reading “I Get Sooo Emotional…”→

I’m exhausted and it’s only February. 2017 has already proved overwhelming. Between Trump protests, carrying around a cardboard cut-out of Hillary Clinton, marches, online debates, and school work, I’ve had little time to post…although I have been keeping up with Shiksa-ism’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter presence (so follow me already!). Continue reading “Community”→

I ordered a life-size cardboard cut-out of Hillary Clinton. This should be an indicator that the last few weeks have been rough but a possible new Instagram account is being created. Continue reading “I Ordered a…”→

It has been ages since my last post, however Shisksa*ism has been going strong on Facebook and Instagram…so please check it out and “like” it…or whatever the appropriate term is. I feel like I have been sucked into the “Upside Down” due to my school commitments. Continue reading “5777 Here I Come!”→

I’ve been trying to get into the head space of what draws the uber religious voter to Republican nominee Donald Trump. This week we will glimpse into the world of Evangelical Christendom via the words of Shiksaism’s FIRST GUEST WRITER the fabulous social worker and all-around gal about town: Casey Burke.

I have been asked to pen a post for Shiksaism, as I am one of the only “evangelicals” The Ex-Shiksa still knows. I use the quotes, because I no longer consider myself an evangelical. But I know that world, and what motivates people there, and can, though I cannot relate, understand why people for this section of society would stoically vote Republican despite the nominee.

From childhood, we are told to be in the world, but not of the world. That blessed are the persecuted, so much so that we might create our own persecution. One of the first things you realize when you leave the church’s bubble is that the world is not a dangerous place. People who are different are not bad, and one can be good without being a Christian. One doesn’t need to believe in the divinity of Jesus to know that he was a good guy, a prophetic voice, and someone to be heard.

I get very sad when I think about the fact that many evangelical Christians in the U.S. appear to ready to support Donald Trump to run their supposedly Christian nation. One simple passage in their Bibles will tell them that this man is not a Christian. That he uses the moniker only out of convenience, to get votes, to sow fear. To win over James Dobson. I can lay down some Beatitudes. A little Greatest Command. A little justice, a little mercy, a little humility. Jesus even speaks directly to how you should treat refugees, and prisoners, and the poor.

I try my best to be objective in all things. My training as a social worker has taught me how to listen without judgement and it is my nature to find the good in everyone. I want to understand people and their motivations and what has led them to their present day. And can most times accept what they tell me and move forward. But I cannot abide by the current stances of the Republican Party. Driven by fear and paranoia, you find a reason to ban refugees, most whom are women and children traumatized by decades of war, from your borders because one them might be hiding hatred for the United States. But you have sown the seeds of that hatred with your actions driven by fear and paranoia. You shout down people who are only shouting to begin with because your bigotry has kept you from hearing them when they have tried to speak. You turn a blind eye to the incarceration and killing of young black men with your war on drugs and your war on crime, but cannot see that this is a war of your own making. Shouting about how people must suffer the consequences of their actions, when really they are suffering the consequences of your actions.

I am also a very hopeful person. I have “hope” and “love” literally tattooed on the inside of my arms. I know people can change and believe that the world can change. If we would all just shut up for a moment–just one–and listen to each other. Stop calling each other names and acting all a fool. Take a class. Read a book. Watch a documentary. Turn off your phones and your computers and talk to someone. Take a chance that something or someone out there might quiet your mind and give you peace.